Archives

All posts for the month March, 2016

From beginning to end, I ran a two week marathon to complete the entire series. I was hooked and excited about its every moment, its every episode, and especially Tony Hung’s portrayal of Cheung Po Tsai. How can we not fall for a pirate like him?

Wong Tai Mui 黃娣妹 (Grace Chan), in 2015, is a policewoman who has been transferred back to serve in her hometown of Cheung Chau. She fights for what she believes is right with a quick wit. While in Cheung Chau, she breaks up with her boyfriend Sam (Matt Yeung) after finding he had been disloyal. She is determined to catch Bowie (Ruco Chan), also nicknamed “Bandit King”. While chasing him on a speedboat in the waters of Cheung Chau, she gets caught in a waterspout and winds up back in the Qing Dynasty. A little hard to believe and accept, she finally reasons with herself that she can go back when the next waterspout comes. As she and Cheung Po Tsai are returning to modern day Hong Kong she is stabbed by Wu So Na (Ocean Zhu). However, as they have been cursed by Wu So Na, she forgets who Cheung Po Tsai is after traveling back to 2015’s Hong Kong. At first she does not remember who he is. It is not until an operation where she accidentally shoots Cheung Po Tsai that the memories come flooding in. Thankfully, Cheung Po Tsai had a piece of metal that took the bullet and saved his life. They decide nothing can tear them apart anymore because of all the events they have experienced together.

Bowie (Ruco Chan), in 2015 is the great-grandson of the 11th Prince (Ruco Chan) and Ha Sim (Kelly Fu). He is nicknamed “Bandit King”. He had tried to kidnap one of China’s richest man multiple times, wanting him to donate money to support charity. He can draw very well, and uses this ability to observe the surroundings of where he is to take action. But, actually, he just wants to force the richest to donate money to help the poor. After decoding the message left by his great-grandfather, the 11th Prince (also Ruco Chan), he helps to set up a plan that would break Wu So Na’s (Oceane Zhu) curse, so that Wong Tai Mui (Grace Chan) will remember who Cheung Po Tsai (Tony Hung) is.

Cheung Po Tsai 張保仔 (Tony Hung) travels back to 2015 Hong Kong with Wong Tai Mui (Grace Chan), worried that she might be stuck in another time era while on the way back. However, as Wu So Na (Oceane Zhu) had placed a curse onto Wong Tai Mui (Grace Chan) that unless Cheung Po Tsai dies, she will never remember him, Wong Tai Mui only greets him as a stranger back in Hong Kong. He becomes startled to what he can do to make Wong Tai Mui remember who he is. By coincidence, he encounters Bowie (Ruco Chan). He agrees to help Bowie with his illegal doings. By arrangement, Bowie asks him to help kidnap a rich businessman. Wong Tai Mui shoots him by accident, as all part of Bowie’s plan, ending Wu So Na’s curse and triggering Wong Tai Mui to remember who he is once again. Although he does not come from modern-day Hong Kong, he promises Wong Tai Mui they will be together after overcoming so many obstacles.

Wong Tai Mui 黃娣妹 (Grace Chan) lands in the middle of a battle between two groups of pirates: Cheung Po Tsai (Tony Hung) and Wong Yi (Eric Lee). Seeing her in modern clothing, Cheung Po Tsai brings her back to their pirate ship, wanting to imprison her. But, she teaches them how to fire back, and therefore helping Cheung Po Tsai’s group win. At first, she disapproves the pirates, not understanding why they must kill and rob innocent people. But slowly, she gets to know more of Cheung Po Tsai and his closest clan members and the story behind why they became pirates. One time, she gives up her chance to go back to modern Hong Kong to perform CPR on Cheung Po Tsai, who was choking. She is the great-granddaughter of Wong Yat Hin (Joel Chan) and Chu Suk Kwan (Mandy Wong). Seeing them bicker and trying to do things to piss the other person off, Wong Tai Mui thinks of ways to get them together, worrying she might not exist if her great-grandparents do not get along well. Cheung Po Tsai openly declared his love for her, but knowing they will not have a future, and she will eventually return to 2015’s Hong Kong, she does not accept his love. After being caught by the 11th Prince (Ruco Chan), with her being awestruck that he looked exactly like Bowie, she tells him the true story behind the pirates. Before he sends her off to persuade and discuss to Cheung Po Tsai about the peace agreement, she had fallen for the 11th Prince. Stuck between two men, she constantly reminds herself that she cannot accept either one, as neither love will last. However, time after time, she does not believe in the 11th Prince due to misunderstandings. In a line between life and death, it was Cheung Po Tsai who stood by her. She finally accepts him, and not wanting to separate, Cheung Po Tsai time travels back with her on the motorboat, returning to 2015 Hong Kong.

Cheung Po Tsai 張保仔 (Tony Hung) lost his parents and older brother when pirates raided his village during his childhood years. He was later adopted by the chief pirate Cheng Yat (Law Lok Lam) and his wife Shek Giu (Maggie Shiu). Raised to eventually succeed his adopted father, Cheung Po Tsai is arrogant and stubborn. His first encounter with Wong Tai Mui (Grace Chan) was when she landed in the Qing dynasty from the waterspout and he was in the middle of fighting against Wong Yee (Eric Li). After she helps him win the battle, they constantly bicker with one another, until Wong Tai Mui performs CPR on him after he chokes. He starts to have a crush on her, but he knows she does not have the same feelings for him. With a lot of self pride, he leads a group of pirates to fight against the Qing. He strategically forces the 11th Prince (Ruco Chan) to shoot bows of fire to the Qing’s fleet of ship so the pirates would not be able to go invade them any further. Thinking he can win them again, Cheung Po Tsai sets out to defeat them once again, although Wong Tai Mui had warned him that the 11th Prince had successfully bought a cannon to fire against them. His glory soon dies down when the 11th Prince starts to fire cannon balls to his pirate ship, killing most of his fellow mates on board and the sea flooded with fresh blood. He encounters Wu So Na (Oceane Zhu) who tries to team up with him and the remaining pirates in their village to fight against the Qing. When he sees Wong Tai Mui kissing the 11th Prince at a western-style ball, he gets furious and runs away. When the 11th Prince sends Wong Tai Mui to persuade Cheung Po Tsai to sign a peace treaty, Wu So Na secretly kills Cheng Yat and tries to frame the murder on the 11th Prince. Knowing Cheng Yat wanted the pirates to make peace and live a peaceful life, he agrees to the peace treaty, and under those conditions, he becomes an official. But as the scheming Emperor Jiaqing (Lau Kong) had planned to make all those around the 11th Prince suffer, Cheung Po Tsai and the pirates are placed into jail and face a death sentence. It is also around this time that he finds out the 11th Prince is actually his biological elder brother, and they lost each other when pirates raided their village. After their release, Cheung Po Tsai bids farewell with the 11th Prince, knowing they might never see each other again. He decides to time-travel to 2015 Hong Kong with Wong Tai Mui, not wanting to separate with her after all that they have gone through.

The 11th Prince 十一貝勒 (Ruco Chan) is the son of Emperor Jiaqing (Lau Kong) and Imperial Consort Sun (Susan Tse). Unlike other princes who sit around gambling or hanging out with prostitutes, he is known for his morals. What he feels is right, he will fight for it, even if it means angering his father, the Emperor. Because of this personality trait, his mother always worry about him. From the beginning, he had sworn he would take down Cheung Po Tsai and the pirates, so he could restore calmness in the seas. Relocating to an army base camp, he only has two people he can trust: Siu Fu (Otto Chan), who used to be a Qing soldier but because he did not agree with what they were doing, he quit, and Ha Sim (Kelly Fu), a maid his mother had requested him to take along. Everyone one else in the base camp is against him, due to Fok Yee Tai (Lee Shing Cheong) and Hong Yung’s (Stephen Wong) intentional starting of arguments. Disregarding them, the 11th Prince lost in the first battle against the Pirates when he was forced to shoot bows of fire to the Qing’s fleet of ships to avoid the Pirates from invading the Qing base camp. A day he swore he would never forget, the 11th Prince began to search for the person who could help him purchase an English cannon. That person turned out to be Wong Yat Hin (Joel Chan), the uncle of Ha Sim. Through financial and physical obstacles, Wong Yat Hin was finally able to buy the cannon. In the second battle, the 11th Prince strategically placed soldiers in different locations and once Cheung Po Tsai came, he began to fire cannons. The Qing has zero casualties, but almost all the pirates died in Cheung Po Tsai’s group. The sea turned red from the blood of the dead. After Wong Tai Mui (Grace Chan) tries to invade the army base camp to seek revenge for Cheung Po Tsai, the 11th Prince imprisons her. Wong Tai Mui tells her all the unknown behind the secrets of the Pirates. No one wanted to be a pirate from the very start. They were all forced to do so. With these words striking his head, the 11th Prince began to devise a plan to bring peace between the Pirates and the Qing soldiers. If they agreed to sign the peace agreement, they would become imperial court members instead. Attracted by Wong Tai Mui’s wit and courage, the 11th Prince develops a crush on her, for no one has ever been able to change him for who he was. He sends Wong Tai Mui to persuade Cheung Po Tsai to sign the peace agreement. Cheung Po Tsai accepts at the end and also finds out his older brother might still be alive. He asks the 11th Prince to help him, but the further the 11th Prince is into the investigation, the more he finds out about his own past. The real 11th Prince died due to illness when he was young. He was therefore just a substitute for the 11th Prince, with the Imperial Consort Sun hiding this secret from the Emperor after all these years. A eunuch had found this substitute and took him back to the palace to train him to be an eunuch, but seeing he had a high fever and resembled a lot like the real 11th Prince, the Imperial Consort Sun took him in as a son. Devastated by this fact, he runs into the forest, not wanting this to be real. Wong Tai Mui sees him and kisses him, as a sign that she will be there for him. Although he tries to hide this dark secret, the Emperor had already found out and slowly began to kill off all who knew of this secret, including Cheung Po Tsai and his group, Wong Tai Mui, and Imperial Consort Sun. To protect his brother, the 13th Prince (Hoi Yeung) from getting a death sentence, the 11th Prince does not tell him. However, as Wong Tai Mui does not believe the 11th Prince on several occasions, he gives up his love for her, knowing Cheung Po Tsai loved her equally as much, if not more. The 11th Prince realizes Ha Sim had developed feelings for him very early on and had remained loyal to him. He asks if he could love her too and they planned to escape overseas to start a new life. But, as Emperor Jiaxing was ashamed of this identity truth, he ordered death upon the 11th Prince and Ha Sim. Thankfully Wong Yat Hin came just in time with the English cannon to help them escape from the Qing soldiers. The 11th Prince and Ha Sim move to England to start brand new. The 11th Prince thought of a way to help Cheung Po Tsai and Wong Tai Mui break free of Wu So Na’s (Oceane Zhu) curse by hiding a letter with a thorough explanation behind a painting that would become passed on in the family. His great-grandson Bowie (also Ruco Chan) successfully completes the task.

Ha Sim 夏嬋 (Kelly Fu) grew up in a monastery after her uncle Wong Yat Hin (Joel Chan) left her there so he could tend international business. Her life was ordinary and simple: as long as she had rice and a good meal, she was satisfied. But, that all changed when she was selected to become a maid in the imperial palace. After being selected to follow the 11th Prince (Ruco Chan) to an army camp to fight again Cheung Po Tsai (Tony Hung), she brings trouble to the already stressed 11th Prince. Fok Yee Tai (Lee Shing Cheong) accuses her of killing his adopted son, but in reality, it was an accident because Hong Yung (Stephen Wong) was flirting with Dong Suet (Katy Kung) and Dong Suet was not watching the child. Fok Yee Tai swore to kill her for his son’s revenge, but the 11th Prince draped the Emperor’s golden robe onto her, protecting her of any harm. With her kindness and care, the 11th Prince slowly allowed her into his life. Ha Sim has a crush on the 11th Prince, but as she knew she was only a maid, as long as she could share his feelings, that was good enough for her. She tried to bring together the 11th Prince and Wong Tai Mui (Grace Chan), but Wong Tai Mui chose Cheung Po Tsai at the very end. Letting go of the past, the 11th Prince comes to start a new love story with Ha Sim. They escape from death with the help of Wong Yat Hin’s (Joel Chan) cannon when they are in a fight with Qing soldiers, under an order of the Emperor to have them killed. They escape to England and start anew there. Ha Sim is the great-grandmother of 2015’s Bowie (Ruco Chan).

Siu Fu 敖小虎 (Otto Chan) was a Qing soldier who marched under Fong Yee Tai (Lee Shing Cheong) before he disapproved their values and left the army altogether to be a boxer, often fighting against the 11th Prince (Ruco Chan) as an opponent. Seeing the reason behind why he was fighting fake matches (to save enough money so his wife would not need to be a house maid) and his intention as a soldier, the 11th Prince invited him to join him as he fought against the pirates. A loyal aide to the 11th Prince, he tried to help him solve problems and helped him to take money to Wong Yat Hin (Joel Chan) in Macau. He tragically dies when fighting against Fong Yee Tai, while on a chase to hunt down the eunuch who knew the secret to the 11th Prince’s real identity.

Cheng Yat 鄭一 (Law Lok Lam) holds the highest position within the pirates’ circle. Twenty years ago, he raided a village and encountered Cheung Po Tsai (Tony Hung). Instead of killing him, he took Cheung Po Tsai to be his adopted son and trained him in the waters to succeed his position in the pirates circle. Cheng Yat wishes to be elected to the highest position once again, but in order to accomplish that, he must defeat whoever is on the battlefield. Although his health is deteriorating, he is unwilling to acknowledge that fact. He agrees to make peace with the 11th Prince, so no more fellow pirates will have to die between their battles. But, he is never able to witness that as Wu So Na (Oceane Zhu) kills him. He is later honored to be a 2nd ranking high official.

Shek Giu 石嬌 (Maggie Shiu) was captured by Qing soldiers who pretended to be pirates on the night of her marriage. They forced her to sleep with different soldiers in the base camp each night. She recalls those days of living hell, until one night Cheng Yat (Law Lok Lam) and his group of pirates raided the camp and saved her. She became the wife of Cheng Yat and became the adopted mother of Cheung Po Tsai (Tony Hung). She can be fierce to the Qing soldiers and to their enemies, but at the same time, she is protective to those she loves and cares about. When Cheung Po Tsai decides to time-travel back with Wong Tai Mui (Grace Chan), she tells Cheung Po Tsai to find the valuables she and Cheng Yat had hid in modern day Cheung Chau.

Suen Sau Choi 孫秀才 (Ram Chiang), Lau Sing 劉星(King Kong), and Shum Ho 沈蠔 (Sunny Tai), are the three looking after Cheung Po Tsai (Tony Hung). Suen Sau Choi was originally a scholar who was on his way home to tell his wife about him winning the national competition. But, instead, he found that his wife had been killed by the Qing soldiers and he was accused of siding with the pirates. With such a breakdown, he decides to join Cheng Yat (Law Lok Lam) instead, realizing there were more to pirates raiding villages. After the peace agreement, he becomes a 3rd ranking official. Lai Sing originally lived with his older brother and sister-in-law in a fishing village. Although they were poor, they were happy. But, Qing soldiers invaded their fishing village and captured them, pretending as if they were pirates so they would be acknowledged. Lau Sing joined the pirates in the West before and therefore speaks some English. After the peace agreement, he becomes a 5th ranking official. Shum Ho becomes a 6th ranking official after the peace agreement.

Wong Yee 黃義 (Eric Li) is the rival of Cheung Po Tsai (Tony Hung). Originally a close friend of Cheng Yat (Law Lok Lam), they become enemies when their visions change. Wong Yee is an arrogant, stubborn, and selfish pirate. He sees status as the ability to help himself strive further. In the beginning, he is defeated by Cheung Po Tsai, but runs to Cheng Yat to complain about his adopted son. At one point, he had wanted to take six mistresses at the same time, which one was Chu Suk Kwan (Mandy Wong) and the other five were filled in by Cheung Po Tsai and his crew to mock him. In one battle, Cheung Po Tsai breaks his leg, resulting him to become crippled, but Wong Yee continues to do whatever he can to reach number one position. He is cursed by Wo So Na (Oceane Zhu), but backs off from drinking what he thought was mixed poison that would kill him.

Wu So Na 烏素娜 (Oceane Zhu) comes from what is known as Thailand today. She practices black magic with spiders and other insects. Originally, she went to find the next leader of the Chinese pirates to team up and defeat the Qing soldiers but encountered Chueng Po Tsai (Tony Hung). Seeing how he saved her with all his willpower, she fell in love with him, but was disappointed to know that he only loved Wong Tai Mui (Grace Chan). After knowing the Chinese pirates wanted to make peace with the Qing soldiers, she secretly killed Cheng Yat (Law Lok Lam) and tried to frame it on the 11th Prince (Ruco Chan). Before her death, she made sure to curse Cheung Po Tsai and Wong Tai Mui that they would never be able to love each other, unless one party dies.

Wong Yat Hin 黃逸軒 (Joel Chan) is the uncle of Ha Sim (Kelly Fu). He left her at a monastery to travel abroad and do international business. It was not until the 11th Prince (Ruco Chan) wanted to buy an English cannon that they met again after so many years. He knows his friend and business partner Mr. Robertson (Brian Burrell) has access to the abandoned English cannon. Travelling to Macau to seek him, he arrives when Mr. Robertson is arrested. Following the arrest, he requests for more money from the 11th Prince to bribe the people with political status in Macau. After he is arrested as well, he asks Chu Suk Kwan (Mandy Wong) to help him by begging the executioner Piladi (Q Bo Bo). However, after he escapes from death, he leaves Chu Suk Kwan, only leaving her with a sum of money so she can leave the brothel. Wong Yat Hin’s thinking is he cannot marry someone who used to be a prostitute, and he does not want to be tied down by one person, although he had promised her in the first place that he would celebrate their marriage with a huge banquet. With the cannon in hand and the victory of the 11th Prince, he becomes a close friend of the 11th Prince. He gets jealous when he sees Chu Suk Kwan with other men, but he does not want to be a full time husband. When Chu Suk Kwan decides to become a nun, Wong Yat Hin finally realizes where his heart truly belonged and knelt to admit his wrongdoings, something he was reluctant to do in the first place. She is the great-grandfather of Wong Tai Mui (Grace Chan) and also asked Mr. Robertson to build her a boat to time-travel back to 2015 Hong Kong.

Chu Suk Kwan 朱淑君 (Mandy Wong) comes from an unfortunate past and made a living working in a brothel. However, she had promised herself that she would not marry someone to be their mistress. If she married, she would be their first wife. She is tricked by Wong Yat Hin (Joel Chan) to help him escape being hung in Macau after Wong Yat Hin promises her he will hold a great ceremony to wed her. After Wong Yat Hin escapes death, he abandons Chu Suk Kwan, forgetting his initial promise. She goes great lengths to get back to him and remind him of his promise, including telling Wong Tai Mui (Grace Chan) why Wong Yat Hin had bought the cannon for the 11th Prince (Ruco Chan) and bad mouthing Wong Yat Hin in Guangzhou. She helps cure Wong Wing Yu’s (Cilia Kung) constant panicking condition. She requests for Wong Yat Hin to kneel in front of him to admit all the wrongdoings, but he refuses. She almost becomes a nun if it was not for Wong Yat Hin to beg her back. She is the great-grandmother of Wong Tai Mui.

Wong Wing Yu 黃詠妤 (Cilia Kung) is the younger sister of Wong Yat Hin (Joel Chan). She was taken care by a nanny at a younger age, as her older brother was always overseas. She finally lives with him again after he successfully helps the 11th Prince purchase a cannon. She has a condition where she panics and screams over anything, such as a loud thump or seeing a scary person. Her condition improves after Chu Suk Kwan (Mandy Wong) asks Piladi (Q Bo Bo) to scare her until she was no longer scared.

Piladi 帕拉狄 (Q Bo Bo) works as an executioner in Macau. After seeing Chu Suk Kwan (Mandy Wong), he sees her as a goddess, and would pay to spend the night with her, however, only to confess to her about his sins of killing other people. He does Chu Suk Kwan a favor by purposely hooking Wong Yat Hin (Joel Chan) and Mr. Robertson (Brian Burrell) to another hook before they are hanged to death, so they would not die. He also scares away Wong Wing Yu (Cilia Kong’s) panic condition.

Mr. Robertson 羅拔臣 (Brian Burrell) is an Englishman and business partner of Wong Yat Hin (Joel Chan). He claims every time they do business, unfortunate things happen. The first time, they shipped goods to Malaysia, and secretly shipped Chinese workers there as well. Because the load increased so much, everyone on board died and the two of them were stranded on an island for seven days. The second time, they invested in cannons, but England lost in the war and therefore all their investors’ money were gone as well. The third time, Wong Yat Hin wanted to buy the cannon that England abandoned for the 11th Prince. While in Macau, Mr. Robertson is imprisoned for the fiancée of the head of the police department tragically died on the ship to Malaysia. To plot revenge on them, the head arrested both Mr. Robertson and Wong Yat Hin and both were to be hanged to death. If it was not for Paladi, they would have both died in Macau. After escaping death, Mr. Robertson finally sells the cannon to Wong Yat Hin.

Emperor Jiaqing 嘉慶帝 (Lau Kong) is a scheming individual. He believes as emperor, he can have things the way he wants, to whatever extent it may take. Although he says he dislike the princes’ constant quarrels and says they should maintain a good brotherly relationship, he is actually the one who strikes their arguments. The only time he acts like a fatherly figure is perhaps the time he mourns for the death of his beloved son, the Crown Prince (Hero Yuen). After he finds out that the 11th Prince (Ruco Chan) has been the substitute for his already deceased son for the past 20 years, Emperor Jiaqing goes on an angry rage, killing anyone and everyone who knows of the secret. He plots to have those around the 11th Prince die first and then kill him, for he will die with great sorrow and regret. At the end, he even orders death upon the 11th Prince.

The Crown Prince 太子 (Hero Yuen) is the beloved son of Emperor Jiaqing (Lau Kong). He is known for his selfless personality, a trait that the emperor sees lacking in all the other princes. From the very beginning, he has been sick, with the imperial doctors afraid to say he would die eventually. Knowing the end of life is not far away for him, he requests his father to select another Crown Prince, as he cannot take on the responsibility. After his death, the Emperor claims no one shed a tear for him, except for the 11th Prince (Ruco Chan), who was actually putting on a scene.

Lai Gung Gung 禮公公 (Elliot Ngok) was an astronomical prodigy, but when he predicted the Crown Prince (Hero Yuen) would die before he reached the age of 20, Emperor Jiaqing (Lau Kong) ordered him to be beheaded. He escaped death thanks to Imperial Consort Sun’s (Susan Tse) help, but became a eunuch as a punishment. As the Emperor’s closest adviser, he knows the good and evil in people. As he owes his life to Imperial Consort Sun, he tries to help the 11th Prince (Ruco Chan) and Imperial Consort Sun escape from punishment every time they get into trouble. To help take revenge on Imperial Consort Sun’s death, he and the 11th Prince kidnap the new Crown Prince to threaten the Emperor.

Imperial Consort Sun 淳貴妃 (Susan Tse) is a protective mother who holds a deep secret. Although she acts innocent and pitiful, she will do anything if it involves protecting the 11th Prince (Ruco Chan) and the 13th Prince (Hoi Yeung). Her main rival is Imperial Consort Yim (Elaine Yiu), who used to be her maid, but she strategically placed her to be Emperor Jiaqing’s (Lau Kong) new love so he would not focus on her as much. She did so because the young 11th Prince had died due to illness at a young age. Coincidentally, one of the eunuchs had brought a young boy around the same age with a high fever into the royal palace. She took the young boy in to be the substitute of her deceased son, who would grow to be the intelligent and suave 11th Prince. After the secret is revealed, she dies after the Emperor issues a death order on those who uncovered the secret.

The 13th Prince 十三貝勒 (Hoi Yeung) is the son of Emperor Jiaqing (Lau Kong) and Imperial Consort Sun (Susan Tse). He is neutral and keeps cool with the arguments between the other princes. He admires his older brother, the 11th Prince (Ruco Chan). He is often sent out by his mother to keep a close eye on the 11th Prince in case he gets into any trouble. He does not know the 11th Prince’s real identity, for the 11th Prince does not want him to encounter unnecessary troubles.

The 4th Prince 四貝勒 (Chan Ka Fai), 5th Prince 五貝勒 (Kong Wing Fai), 6th Prince 六貝勒 (Russell Cheung), and 8th Prince 八貝勒 (Clayton Li) are known for their good-for-nothing behavior. They have bad gambling and lecherous habits. Sometimes they work together to take down the 11th Prince (Ruco Chan), but all they really want is more power and authority. The 4th and 5th Prince are sent by Emperor Jiaqing (Lau Kong) to watch over the 11th Prince as he plans his attack against the pirates, but they cause more trouble for him time after time after teaming up with Fok Yee Tai (Lee Shing Cheong). They run back tattling on the 11th Prince, in hopes for more authority, but they fail.

Imperial Consort Yim 炎貴妃 (Elaine Yiu) is Emperor Jiaqing’s (Lau Kong) current favorite concubine and was a former maid of Imperial Consort Sun (Susan Tse). Little did she know, it was all Imperial Consort Sun’s plan for her to be noticed by the Emperor. She is also the niece of Fok Yee Tai (Lee Shing Cheong). Together, they help each other out to harm those who they see as a threat. She has, on several occasions, tried to frame the 11th Prince (Ruco Chan) who she sees as a threat for her rise in power. After getting pregnant, she slowly begins to help her son become the next crown prince. She is never satisfied, so when she begins to learn of the secret that the 11th Prince is a substitute, she keeps wanting to dig more of the past. This leads to her eventual death when the Emperor grants her poisoned wine.

Dong Suet 冬雪 (Cilia Kung) is the close maid of Imperial Consort Yim (Elaine Yiu). She was actually placed beside her by Imperial Consort Yim’s uncle, Fok Yee Tai (Lee Shing Cheong), to monitor her every action and report back to him. She is quick to speak and nosy about things. But in order to dwell in the palace, Dong Suet must side with whoever is helpful at the moment. Her death comes when she is finds out the secret of the 11th Prince (Ruco Chan).

Fok Yee Tai 霍爾泰 (Lee Shing Cheong) is the uncle of Imperial Consort Yim (Elaine Yiu). He strategically placed Dong Suet (Katy Kung) as a maid for Imperial Consort Yim so that he would know all her actions and thinking. He is constantly striving for more power and more wealth. Originally the leader of Qing soldiers to bring the pirates down so the seas are free of danger, he has often faked his victory. He would take innocent villagers and accuse them of being pirates. He would also take a portion of the soldiers’ salary and keep himself. But as he is the close relative of the Emperor’s most loved imperial consort, he is always able to get out of trouble and escape punishment. That changes when he is assigned to help the 11th Prince (Ruco Chan) fight against the bandits. Having never been fond of the 11th Prince, he would stir up disagreements and unnecessary commotion in the base camp, causing more and more trouble for the 11th Prince. This is because he thought his adopted son’s death was caused by Ha Sim (Kelly Fu), the 11th Prince’s maid, but in reality it was just a pure accident. After the peace agreement, the Emperor lowers his rank, after the 11th Prince tattles on him for all his wrongdoings. At that moment, he realizes he should just live with whatever he has and stop dreaming for bigger things. However, that thought is cut short when Imperial Consort Yim orders him to find out more about the secret of the 11th Prince being a substitute. During a chase with Siu Fu (Otto Chan) to seek the eunuch who knew all, he and Siu Fu were hanging from a cliff and in order to have him killed, Siu Fu asked Ha Sim to cut the rope that they were holding on.

Hong Yung 韓勇 (Stephen Wong) was one of the leaders who was responsible for guiding the Qing soldiers to defeat the Cheung Po Tsai’s (Tony Hung) clan, but it turned out the other way instead. Escaping from the ship, Shek Giu (Maggie Shiu) stabbed his right eye, resulting him to wear an eye patch for the rest of his life. When approached with danger, he would use his life to threaten others. As a pervert, he first tried to court Dong Suet (Katy Kung) and later assaulted Ha Sim (Kelly Fu) on multiple occasions. Being able to speak the Teochew and Wu dialects, he stirred intense rivalry between the Chaozhou and Zhejiang army groups, leading them to fight among themselves. His life ends when the 11th Prince (Ruco Chan) kills him after he caught Hong Yung assaulting Ha Sim once again.

Hung 鴻 (Oscar Li) and Wai 戚 (Jerry Lee) are the leaders of the Chaozhou and Zhejiang army groups respectively. At first, they were not fond of each other and often quarreled, resulting in outbreaks between the soldiers under their lead. They resolve issues after seeing how much the 11th Prince (Ruco Chan) cared about them. When Emperor Jiaqing (Lau Kong) sent a death order on the 11th Prince, they were responsible for leading troops to attack the 11th Prince.

Ho Fei 何飛(Lee Ging Gong) is the leader of the Beijing army group. A trusted confidant of the 11th Prince (Ruco Chan), he is also faced with hardship when Emperor Jiaqing (Lau Kong) sent a death order on the 11th Prince.

BEST COUPLE: Cheung Po Tsai and Wong Tai Mui (Tony Hung and Grace Chan)They first started bickering as if there was no tomorrow, but after Wong Tai Mui (Grace Chan) saved Cheung Po Tsai (Tony Hung), his views on her changed completely. Although Wong Tai Mui was reluctant to accept his love, for one, she does not share the same beliefs as him in being a pirate, and two, she knows she will eventually go back to 2015 Hong Kong, she finally accepts him after they experience a line of life and death together. They also travel back to 2015 Hong Kong, with memories and experiences of the Qing dynasty in their minds.

THE SONGS:

The series had one theme song and two subtheme songs.

Themesong by Fred Cheung (揚帆 Sailing)

誰令我越難過 我越捱過 只要看著我 (Whoever makes it more difficult for me, I will survive, just look at me)
面對槍炮再多 我越強悍 永未被擒獲 (Facing more cannons, I will become more powerful, never to be caught)
船上我獨自揚帆闖 未管剩低什麼 (I will sail alone, Not leaving anything behind)
全部要順從我 要被我追趕 (Everything will be obedient and I will capture them)

The song is very strong, and almost feels like it takes place in the middle of a battle between Cheung Po Tsai and the 11th Prince. Both are stubborn and willing to win, especially the 11th Prince. But, at the end only one will obtain victory.

Subsong by Linda Chung (一顆不變的心 A Heart That Will Not Change)

一顆心不變遷 離多久都不變遷 (A heart that will not change, no matter how far apart)
合上雙眼見著你的臉 像承諾緣訂三生碰見 (When I close my eyes, I see your face, almost like a promise made three lives ago)
如像海跟天靠近相牽 經得起時地逆轉 (Like the ocean and sky, able to withstand against time and change)
即使多遠 回憶不可斷線 (But no matter how far, memories will not fade)

This is Cheung Po Tsai and Wong Tai Mui’s song, written in Cheung Po Tsai’s perspective. Once he fell in love with Wong Tai Mui, he could not change his heart’s desire. It took some time for her to finally accept him and return his love, but thankfully he waited. When they time-traveled back to 2015 Hong Kong, Wong Tai Mui lost all the memory from the Qing dynasty. But, that still did not stop Cheung Po Tsai from loving Wong Tai Mui wholeheartedly, as he listened to his heart.

Subsong by Ruco Chan (下世紀 Next Century)

為了不與你別離 大好江山都忘記 (Not wanting to leave you, I can forget about my country)
下世紀約個日期 天荒都等你 (Let’s meet on a date in the next century, I will wait for you no matter what)
下輩子再創傳奇 或再可揚帆嬉戲 (I will create another legend in the next life, or we can sail again)
無奈今生我注定 親手失去你 (Perhaps it is fate in this life, I will helplessly lose you from my own hands)

This is the song of the 11th Prince. Although he does not know that Wong Tai Mui had came from the future, he only knows that time after time, she does not accept him and he will lose her at the end, whether it is to Cheung Po Tsai or to time.

4 MEMORABLE MOMENTS:

First Battle (Episode 13)Having just taken over the camp, the 11th Prince (Ruco Chan) is given a small number of small ships and army groups who are constantly quarreling physically and verbally. Cheung Po Tsai (Tony Hung) and his band of pirates were ready to invade the army base, with small cannons ready to fire. Citing it as a day he will remember forever, the 11th Prince asked everyone on board to evacuate the ship by jumping into the water as he prepared to have the people on the army base to shoot bows of fire, which destroyed all the ships, but prevented Cheung Po Tsai from intruding any further.

Second Battle (Episode 18)Having prepped for battles ahead, the 11th Prince (Ruco Chan) asks Wong Yat Hin (Joel Chan) to buy a cannon, no matter how much money he would spend. The 11th Prince strategically placed men along the army camp, and the cannon hidden from view. He allowed Cheung Po Tsai (Tony Hung) and the pirates to go closer to the army base. Although Wong Tai Mui (Grace Chan) had warned Cheung Po Tsai that the 11th Prince has successfully bought an English cannon, he refused to give up and continued his invasion. Once the sun set, the 11th Prince ordered the cannon balls to be fired continuously, killing most of the pirates and injuring the rest. The sea was drained with the blood of the pirates. It was that moment that Cheung Po Tsai realized he had been wrong and made a terrible mistake.

11th Prince Breaks Down (Episode 27)The 11th Prince (Ruco Chan) had always stood up to what he believed was moral and right, even if it meant fighting against his father, Emperor Jiaqing (Lau Kong). His mother Imperial Consort Sun (Susan Tse) had always tried to protect him and save him from trouble. But, his mother reveals to him he was actually found to replace her already deceased son, meaning he is not her biological son. Lai Gung Gung (Elliot Ngok) also reveals that he is the biological older brother that Cheung Po Tsai (Tony Hung) is looking for. Distressed, he runs out and breaks down in the woods, to be comforted by Wong Tai Mui (Grace Chan), but he says he rather suffer himself with this secret.

Cheung Po Tsai’s Love Speech (Episode 30)After the end of everything, Wong Tai Mui (Grace Chan) decides to time-travel back to 2015 Hong Kong as she has family waiting for her to come home. But, Cheung Po Tsai (Tony Hung) does not think this is a reason for them to separate. He informs her he will go back with him, even if it can be dangerous: if they are stuck in the watersprout or accidentally travels to another time period. He does not want her to have to face loneliness and danger by herself. At the end, she allows him to time-travel with her.

Final Comments:

Although the series was computer graphics intensive, overall, I liked the plot and the characters. I was rooting for Cheung Po Tsai and Wong Tai Mui from the very beginning, not knowing what would be the end of them.